Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

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Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

This is my main problem with ESPN in regards to the Pacers they claim they respect us on the court. But they clearly either don't have any idea how the Pacers built this team. Or they don't respect the scouting and patience this team exhibited.

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

We got lucky that they were still available when we picked, but not lucky that they turned out to be studs. We scouted hard and made great decisions with what we had. Always appreciate that about our front office guys.

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

We can just look at the the NBA champs from 2000 on. I'll bold the teams that bottomed out, and drafted their stars.

LakersSpurs
Pistons
Miami
Boston

Whether it's the Lakers, who traded for Kobe and signed Shaq as a FA, or Miami which then got Shaq, or Boston who made trades, or the Pistons who used FA and trades, I think it's pretty clear that bottoming out and drafting your players doesn't get the best results. And even SA gets kind of iffy, seeing as how Manu/Parker were both late picks.

Duncan/Wade are the only stars that got the franchises that drafted them rings.

What if someone from a school of business or management school were to ask, How did you do this? How did you get the Pacers turned around? Is there a general approach you've taken that can be summarized?

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

We can just look at the the NBA champs from 2000 on. I'll bold the teams that bottomed out, and drafted their stars.

LakersSpurs
Pistons
Miami
Boston

Whether it's the Lakers, who traded for Kobe and signed Shaq as a FA, or Miami which then got Shaq, or Boston who made trades, or the Pistons who used FA and trades, I think it's pretty clear that bottoming out and drafting your players doesn't get the best results. And even SA gets kind of iffy, seeing as how Manu/Parker were both late picks.

Duncan/Wade are the only stars that got the franchises that drafted them rings.

Boston didn't technically bottom out and pick a player, but all the drafted players they had got them Garnett, and the #5 pick in that draft was theirs that they traded to the Sonics for Ray Allen.

Still can't believe the Thunder at 1 time had Westbrook, Durant, Harden, Green, and Ibaka on their team. They should've played small ball with that talent.

"It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

No, that's old news. The draft no longer has anything to do with it. The best players in the NBA just decide to play together so they can win. Before long, guys seeking their first big contracts will be joining up to form teams. Nice competition this makes...

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

No, that's old news. The draft no longer has anything to do with it. The best players in the NBA just decide to play together so they can win. Before long, guys seeking their first big contracts will be joining up to form teams. Nice competition this makes...

Normally, draft classes aren't great enough for that to work like how the Heat lucked out, and with the new luxury tax, it's going to be harder for teams to do. The 2003 draft at the top is very unique for that, and really I only think LeBron and Melo can make a significant impact, Wade isn't the same atm, and Bosh is a 3rd wheel at best.

The 14 Draft is going to have a similar impact I think, give them 3 or 4 years or whenever a few of those guys become free-agents and the same situation may occur.

"It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

You just need guys who are BAMF's, or were the top scorers in the history of their town, or a some guys who excelled at small universities not really known for basketball prior to them playing there, or who like smothering chickens, and want to do whatever it takes to help their teams go farder.

Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

We can just look at the the NBA champs from 2000 on. I'll bold the teams that bottomed out, and drafted their stars.

LakersSpurs
Pistons
Miami
Boston

Whether it's the Lakers, who traded for Kobe and signed Shaq as a FA, or Miami which then got Shaq, or Boston who made trades, or the Pistons who used FA and trades, I think it's pretty clear that bottoming out and drafting your players doesn't get the best results. And even SA gets kind of iffy, seeing as how Manu/Parker were both late picks.

Duncan/Wade are the only stars that got the franchises that drafted them rings.

Good post. You left out Dallas though. Dirk was drafted by Milwaukee with the 9th pick in 98 and then traded to the Mavs for Robert Traylor, who was the 6th pick. So they didn't exactly bottom out either. When they won the championship 13 years later, it was with Dirk and a bunch of vets that they had brought in through smart trades/signings.

You can get all-star players later in the draft with a combination of luck and scouting. In 1998, Dirk was drafted 9th and Pierce 10th. Those are two all-time studs who are both Finals MVPs. Hopefully Paul George at 10 in 2010 has similar value over the course of his career. The early results look favorable.....

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Re: Watching ESPN today, they keep saying you have to build through the bottom of the draft

I think it's a combination of luck, scouting, knowing to filter out people with certain red flags (like if the doctors tell you his body is prone to breaking down or not, attitude/character profiles, how important it is to them to work hard, how important it is to be part of a winner, etc.). Once you do all that, it probably gets a little easier to know who you really want, and then that's where luck plays in because they'll either be there at your pick, or not, or you can make a good trade, or not, and sometimes even people with good bodies get hurt.

I think no matter where you're drafting they must be someone who buys into / fits with your team's culture. I think that's what drew them to Solomon Hill, as the most recent example.